By Francis Gayang csc –
Readings: Is 40: 1-11; Mt 18: 12-14
Jesus’ wish is that none of us should miss the heavenly banquet. He may allow us to be tested like Job, but not without a lesson.
God’s love is ever new with unconditional care, especially for the weak and marginalized, whose identity remains invisible in this ambitious society. What does it mean to leave the ninety-nine and go in search of one lost sheep? For God, each and every person matters, and for those of us who are lost sheep, know through the parable that God loves and is ever ready to pay special attention to us.
As a Christian, my call is to do unto others as Jesus has done unto me (Jn 13:14). My call is altruistic. Those of us who have responded to that call have our mission to be Christ-like.
To be Christ-like is to be humane to all people irrespective of differences in faith, and social identities, and treat everyone justly, without prejudices. Karl Rahner would say that a true human being makes Christ alive in that person. That person is another mode of God. Jesus was truly human, which is why he was able to have compassion for the people. So, by being truly human, I can become divine and can connect myself with everyone’s life.